This invention relates to insect traps and, more specifically, to an insect trap which is collapsible.
Because mosquitoes and other flying insects are carriers of various diseases those concerned with public health have for many years considered it important to sample flying insect populations at various locations. With such samples they can determine the risk of disease to nearby human and animal populations and evaluate insect control efforts. Much of this work has been undertaken by the Public Health Service and the Department of the Army.
Mosquito traps using as basic elements a vertical tube, an attracting light, and a fan for blowing mosquitoes into a bag made of netting have been known for many years. Some of the better known and most commonly used light traps are the Communicable Disease Center (CDC) Miniature developed by the CDC of the Public Health Service, the Monks Wood (MW), the Solid State Army Miniature (SSAM), and the Model 50 New Jersey. The CDC, MW, and SSAM are designed to collect live specimens for disease vector or rearing studies, and the New Jersey trap to sample mosquitoes for determining population density and diversity, and monitoring the efficacy of mosquito control efforts. Other insect traps have also been previously described. See U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,231,877; 1,445,906; 2,931,127; 3,120,075; 3,201,893; and 4,282,673.
The traps discussed above, however, all suffer from one or more of several disadvantages. Specifically, they are relatively bulky and cannot be collapsed for easy transport, they are also relatively heavy, and, under the rigor of field conditions, they are not as durable, and, therefore, as reliable, as they should be.